Chapter IV

A third cause that made the life of Christ so holy was that _He did everything perfectly well_: “He hath done all things well” (St. Mark vii, 37). Our goodness does not consist so much in what we do as in the manner in which we do it. In fact, during the thirty years of His private life, which we are now studying, Christ did no great things whatever. His occupations were of the humblest kind; millions of men are doing the same day after day; but His actions derived their excellence from the perfection wherewith He did them, and our goodness consists in imitating His perfect manner of acting.

The excellence of a masterpiece in painting and sculpture results from the excellent delicacy and appropriateness of every, even the smallest, detail; the beauty of a specimen of good penmanship does not result from bold dashes, but from the perfection of every single letter; and so the excellence of the life of Christ, and the lives of those who wish to become like unto Him, lies not in doing great things, but in doing everything excellently well.

Few of us, if any, have occasion of doing many great things in the course of our life; but we can all, with God’s grace, do a multitude of little things well, and thus resemble our Divine model. Our crown in Heaven will not consist of some one or two magnificent jewels, as does the crown of many glorious Martyrs, but of countless little gems, each shining with its own peculiar lustre. These are the lessons we should learn from the private life of the God incarnate.

THE THIRD MEDITATION
On the Public Life of Christ

_1st Prelude._ Recall the facts: Christ began His public labors for the salvation of souls by leaving His Blessed Mother, by being baptized among sinners, then fasting forty days. Next He travelled on foot from town to town during three years, in great poverty, through Galilee and Judea; selected ignorant men as His Apostles, instructed them most patiently, and predicted His sacred passion.

_2nd Prelude._ Behold Christ, attended by His Apostles, while He addresses a miscellaneous multitude.

_3rd Prelude._ Ask earnestly that you may learn from Him an intense zeal for souls and generosity in following His example.

_POINT I._ Consider the grandeur of the work of saving souls. It is the noblest occupation possible, as is expressed in the maxim attributed to St. Dionysius the Areopagite: “The most Divine of all Divine works is the salvation of souls.” In fact the saving of one soul is a higher achievement than the creation of the material universe; for the value of an action is properly measured by the result achieved, and a glorified soul is as far above all bodily substances as the knowledge, love and fruition of God is above mere matter. We admire the poet who composes a grand epic, the painter or sculptor who produces a masterpiece of his noble art, the architect who erects an imposing structure, etc.; but what is all this compared to the salvation of a soul, that will be for eternity an ornament of Heaven. To Christ belongs the glory of all salvation of souls, but He deigns to share this glory with His followers, to whom He says: “I have chosen you and have appointed you that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain” (St. John xv, 16).

What a noble object to work for! And while a soul is so precious, its salvation is to be effected in a short time. We may at times achieve this wonderful success in a single hour.

_POINT II._ Consider the example set us by the Son of God to accomplish this purpose: 1. He left His Blessed Mother, and we do not read that He ever returned to her home. This ought to encourage us to make similar sacrifices. 2. He so humbled Himself as to be baptized among sinners; and, to call down the blessings of Heaven upon His sacred ministry, He spent forty days in fasting and prayer. By all this He taught us that the supernatural work of saving souls is to be accomplished by the supernatural means of humiliations and penance and prayer; mere eloquence and logic are not sufficient. 3. He endured many privations. For during those three years He and His Apostles had not the comforts of a home: “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests, but the son of man hath not where to lay his head” (St. Matth. viii, 20). They often spent the night in the open air, for instance in the Garden of Olives. They had no regular supply of food, and must often have endured bitter hunger. St. Matthew narrates an instance: “At that time Jesus went through the corn on the Sabbath; and His disciples being hungry began to pluck the ears and to eat them” (xii, 1). He travelled and taught the people all day and received visitors during the night, like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arithmathea, who were His disciples secretly for fear of the Jews.

The history of the Saints is full of similar hardships; for they had learned to follow His example. Am I a worthy follower of my King? Do I make generous sacrifices in His service? Frequently the salvation or the loss of a soul depends on the zeal of a priest or religious. Neglect in this matter is often irreparable.

_POINT III._ During His public life Jesus also gave us the example of earnest prayer, in which He would at times spend the entire night. St. Luke writes: “He (Jesus) went out into a mountain to pray, and he passed the whole night in the prayer of God” (vi, 12). He did not need to pray for His own sake, but He wished to show us by His example the necessity of fervent prayer for those employed in the active duty of saving souls. They need it for themselves and for the good of others. For themselves, because the sacred ministry is full of dangers; it is like striving to save drowning men, in which task those who lend assistance often perish themselves. Sad experience teaches that many priests, employed in constant labors, neglect their own souls, and come to a miserable fall. And as far as the neighbor is concerned, it is the man of prayer, the man of God, that does the work of God, and not the priest of a worldly mind who neglects his prayer.

With what devotion do I offer the holy sacrifice of the Mass? receive Holy Communion? make my meditation? recite the Divine Office? The annual retreat is the time to consider all these things and to provide for improvements.

_Colloquy_ with our Dear Lord, praying for an increase of fervor in prayer, of zeal for souls, of generosity in the labors of the ministry.

THE SIXTH DAY

After we have meditated on the Kingdom of Christ, His self-annihilation, His private life and His zealous labors, we must now consider the plots and efforts of the archenemy Satan, who opposes Him at every point. For life is a continuous warfare: “The life of man upon earth is a warfare,” says Job; and in every war there are of course two opposing forces. St. Augustine in his celebrated work on “The City of God,” compared together the working of those conflicting powers, the impersonations of virtue and vice, of humility and pride. St. Ignatius here proposes a similar parable, for the purpose of discovering the plots and snares of Satan to ruin souls, contrasting them with Christ’s plans and labors to procure their eternal happiness.

THE FIRST MEDITATION
On the Two Standards

_1st Prelude._ The figure under which the two opposing forces are presented by St. Ignatius is that of two armies encamped, the one near Babylon, the city of confusion, as the name signifies; the other near Jerusalem, that sacred city of peace. In the former camp Satan is seen elevated on a throne of fire and smoke, his countenance horrible to behold. He is surrounded by countless demons, whom he is instructing how to compass the ruin of souls. In the other camp the Blessed Saviour stands humbly in the midst of His followers, Angels and men, His countenance beaming with kindness, while teaching them how to gain all hearts for virtue and happiness.

_2nd Prelude._ Imagine you behold these two camps with their respective leaders.

_3rd Prelude._ Ask for light to understand the treacherous schemes of Satan, that you may oppose them in yourself and in others, and may lead all to obey Christ.

_POINT I._ Study the special features of Satan’s camp.

1. It is near Babylon, where the tower of Babel once stood, to signify the pride and the confusion which Satan ever labors to stir up in the hearts of men. He is elevated on a throne, to denote the ambition he arouses in all to rise above their fellows. The throne consists of flames, ever restless, and smoke, darkening the mind of his miserable dupes. His monstrous features reflect the ugly vices of his heart.

2. Listen to his address: “Go into every country, every province, every city, town and hamlet, enter into every house, and tempt every man, woman and child to grasp for the good things of this world. Most of them are easily enticed to the greed of money and riches, the accumulation of which seems to them reasonable and proper.

“When they become rich, tempt them to the ambition of honor, by which they are puffed up with self-esteem and the spirit of independence of God.” This spirit is the very essence of pride, and the subversion of the moral order. The world is full of minds independent of God; they are the conquests of Satan. Beginning with what appears proper enough, they are gradually led to the abyss of sin.

3. The demon understands full well that the temptation is to be adapted to each one’s character. With many there is from the beginning an inordinate love of honor and distinction; these may at once be assailed on their weak point and more rapidly led into pride. Others are more readily allured by the bait of pleasure; they may first be tempted by innocent amusements, then by more inordinate enjoyment, till they cast off all restraint, loving self to the contempt of the Creator, which is but another form of pride.

_POINT II._ Now consider the opposing camp.

1. There behold the gentle Saviour, not enthroned, but humbly standing in the midst of His followers, as it were an equal to the least. His serene countenance is lit by a genial smile, inspiring all with love and confidence;

“Beautiful above the sons of men, grace is poured abroad in thy lips—Thou hast loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore God, thy God, hath annointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows” (Ps. 44).

2. Listen to the instructions He gives to His Angels and the human ministers of His mercy. He says: “Go ye into the whole world, to every country, every province, every city, town and hamlet, enter every house, and induce every man, woman, and child to labor for their eternal happiness, by the practice of self-restraint and moderation in all their desires; let all be satisfied with a decent competency of wealth, detaching their hearts from earthly possessions, so as to acquire poverty of spirit, and to be ready to embrace even actual poverty, if the spirit of God should be pleased to lead them to that perfection. Induce them next to willingness to be slighted, even despised, so as to resemble Me more closely. The result will be true humility, which is the root of all the virtues.”

_Colloquy_, first with your Mother Mary, asking her to obtain from her Divine Son, true poverty of spirit, and willingness to become actually poor, if God should wish it. Then ask the Saviour through His love for Mary, as man, to obtain these graces for you from His Heavenly Father. Lastly ask the Father to grant you the same through His love for His Divine Son. This triple colloquy is a powerful prayer.

THE SECOND MEDITATION
On the Three Degrees of Humility

_1st Prelude._ Imagine you behold Christ, who says to you: “My son, I will now show you the highest point of perfection to which I desire you to aspire for the present.”

_2nd Prelude._ Speak, O Lord, Thy servant heareth. Give me the grace of generously complying with Thy invitation.

_POINT I._ _The first degree_ of virtue, also called the first degree of humility, consists in such a disposition of heart, such firm attachment to our good Lord, that nothing in the world, not even the danger of death, can make us even deliberate about committing a mortal sin. This degree is necessary for all men, it is the habitual state of all good Christians. Weakness or passion may sometimes cause them to fall; but they soon rise again, and return to this state of mind. It is in fact simply the application of the words of Christ: “If thy right hand scandalize thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into unquenchable fire” (St. Mark ix, 42). Let us thank God that we have attained this degree at least; but let us also consider whether any passion is so unrestrained within us as to expose us to a serious fall. No man is safe as long as he lives; some make a sad failure in the end. They fare like the vessel that came from the New World with loads of gold and silver on board, and was wrecked in sight of the Golden Gate, the harbor of San Francisco, while its sailors were answering the hurrahs of welcome rising from the crowd of spectators on the shore.

_POINT II._ _The second degree_ consists in such an habitual state of mind that we would rather do or suffer anything, even rather die, than enter into deliberation about committing even a wilful venial sin. This degree supposes considerable indifference to the good things or the evils of this world. It is the habitual state of fervent religious; they may be surprised into venial sins, but they rarely commit them with full deliberation. Let us try to establish ourselves firmly in this degree; and if we find difficulty in this, let us pray most earnestly for help, and do ourselves violence. “The Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away” (St. Matth. xi, 12). We should not rest satisfied till, by prayer and efforts, we have confirmed ourselves in this degree.

_POINT III._ _The third degree_ consists in such devoted attachment to our Blessed Saviour that we wish to be like Him, to be in suffering and forgotten, or even despised by men, as He was; so that, where duty does not require the contrary, we wish, even without a view to any reward, to share His afflictions, for no other reason than because Christ, our dearest friend and Sovereign Lord endured the same.

Thus when a member of a decent family is in a dying condition, all the other members abstain from feasting or attending pleasure parties; so too, because our Lord led a poor and humble life, enduring intense hardships and sufferings, we wish to bear a share in His afflictions.

As an accomplished artist takes great delight in practising his art, in which a beginner finds only labor and difficulties, so those derive most happiness from the practice of virtue who have attained in it uncommon proficiency. The sentiments of this third degree are beautifully expressed in the Prayer of St. Xavier, “O Deus: ego amo te,” etc. (page 132).

_The colloquy_ is three-fold: 1. Begging the Blessed Virgin to obtain for us from her Divine Son the grace of frequently eliciting acts of this third degree. 2. Begging our Divine Lord to ask this grace for us from His Heavenly Father. 3. Begging our Heavenly Father to grant us the same, through the love He has for His Divine Son.

CONSIDERATION
On Temptations

In the meditation on the Two Standards we studied the manner in which the evil spirit tempts the souls of men, leading them from apparently innocent beginnings to total independence of their Creator. We must now consider the subject of temptations in further detail.